Morocco Secures EUR 800K Research Grant From France
The Morocco Solar Energy and New Energies Research Institute (IRESEN), the Paris-Saclay Technology Transfer Acceleration Company (SATT Paris-Saclay), and the French Development Agency (AFD) have signed a tripartite agreement to support Franco-Moroccan applied research projects in the field of decarbonised hydrogen.
Supported by a donation of 800,000 euros from the AFD and the French Treasury, this agreement provides for the launch, in the 4th quarter of 2024, of a call for innovative projects dedicated to the decarbonised hydrogen sector. This funding contributes to the development of a decarbonised and sustainable economy in Morocco, which is ideally positioned to become a key player in this sector of the future.
Announced last April during the visit of Bruno Le Maire, French Minister of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, this partnership reaffirms the importance of Morocco as a privileged partner of France, Europe, and Africa in meeting the challenge of the energy transition and the decarbonisation of our economies.
Supporting innovation in the hydrogen sector
In the presence of Mr. Christophe Lecourtier, French Ambassador to Morocco, the partners underlined the importance of this agreement for the promotion of applied research and technological innovation.
It is part of a broader dynamic of bilateral cooperation aimed at supporting the Moroccan strategy for energy transition and developing innovative technological solutions to meet global climate challenges.
By making a significant contribution to the Kingdom’s energy transition, this agreement illustrates the desire of the two countries to work closely together for a more sustainable future.
The call for projects will select and support innovative initiatives led by Franco-Moroccan teams for three years.
What the leaders had to say
Christophe Lecourtier, French Ambassador to Morocco, said: “This cooperation will foster the emergence of new Franco-Moroccan partnerships between research centres, universities and industrial players in this strategic sector of decarbonised hydrogen.”
Quiterie Pincent, Director of AFD in Morocco, added: “Climate change requires us to promote a low-carbon economy. The development of research on the green hydrogen value chain contributes to this transition and constitutes an additional opportunity to support the Kingdom’s ambitions.”
IRESEN, a leading agency for innovation in the field of energy transition, will be responsible for ensuring the administrative and technical management of the call for projects, through financial and technological support for the selected projects, and access to shared expertise and infrastructure, in particular the platform dedicated to R&D in Decarbonised Hydrogen “GREEN H2A”.
In addition, the involvement of the Paris-Saclay Technology Transfer Acceleration Company (SATT) will enrich this partnership in terms of valorisation and transfer of the technologies developed towards commercialisation and marketing.
Samir Rachidi, Director General of IRESEN, stated: “By implementing this call for market-oriented applied research projects, we hope to bring out decarbonised hydrogen technologies and transform them into marketable industrial products. We are thus strengthening our participation in the development of the sector.”
Xavier Apolinarski, President of SATT Paris-Saclay, spoke from Orsay: “SATT Paris-Saclay, in partnership with the IRESEN teams in charge of this call for projects, will ensure the analysis of the potential for the valorisation of the proposed applied research projects, the valorisation of the results of selected projects and the successful transfer of technologies to the market.”
This tripartite agreement represents a decisive step towards a decarbonised economy, consolidating the links between France and Morocco and opening the way to new opportunities for innovation and sustainable development.
About the Institute for Research in Solar Energy and New Energies (IRESEN)
The Institute for Research in Solar Energy and New Energies (IRESEN) was created on the sidelines of the “Assises de l’Énergie” in 2011 at the initiative of the Ministry of Energy, Mines and the Environment as well as several public and private stakeholders in the energy sector in order to support the national energy strategy through market-oriented applied research as well as innovation in the field of green technologies.
IRESEN is today a major player supporting the national energy strategy and is positioned across the entire value chain of green innovation. The Institute also contributes to the development of technological roadmaps in the clean energy sector: Solar Resources, Electric Mobility, Green Hydrogen.
About the Paris-Saclay Technology Transfer Acceleration Company (SATT Paris-Saclay)
Created in 2014 and resulting from the Future Investments Program, SATT Paris-Saclay is the Paris-Saclay Technology Transfer Acceleration Company.
A common player for both entities, Université Paris-Saclay and Institut Polytechnique de Paris, SATT Paris-Saclay has an investment capacity of €79 million over 11 years to finance and support the development of research work from the 320 laboratories in the region and for their transfer to markets.
Since the start of its activity, no fewer than 40 startups have developed thanks to technology supported by a SATT Paris-Saclay program, and more than 160 projects by innovative researchers have been supported, giving rise to numerous technology transfers to existing companies.
The structure has developed internal skills (project management, studies of valorisation strategies, market positioning, legal approach specialised in the transfer of intellectual property, patent strategy) allowing it to ensure its mission as a technology transfer organisation.
About the French Development Agency (AFD)
The AFD Group contributes to implementing France’s policy on sustainable development and international solidarity. Composed of the French Development Agency (AFD), in charge of financing the public sector and NGOs, research and training; its subsidiary Proparco, dedicated to financing and supporting the private sector; and Expertise France, a technical cooperation agency, the Group finances, supports and accelerates the transitions necessary for a fairer and more resilient world.
